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It was all so unexpected. I called Peter in early October last year to see if he wanted to go for a walk and coffee. After some small talk he said in an almost matter-of-fact way that he was speaking from a hospital bed. He had been given a devastating cancer diagnosis and was urgently…
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A 470km adventure through Swedish Arctic wilderness For some years now I have been dreaming about exploring the wild, remote expanse of the far north of Sweden. I came to hear of ‘Kunglseden’ – a famous trail in the region. Translated as ‘The King’s Trail’ it has grown and become established over the past 100…
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“In order to keep an average 4km/hour I had to go up hills at 2km/hour and down at 6km/hour. I was barely doing this at this stage as the downhills were becoming painfully sore on the legs. My hunch was right. The last big hill up and over to Argentiere was the steepest of them…
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On rare occasions I write prayers down. They are not like my usual daily ramblings to God. These spoken words or thoughts have little structure. They often are repetitive. Seldom do I feel I adequately express myself. What I am sure of though is that God doesn’t mind. For my own sake, it can sometimes…
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In a previous blog (‘A Life Prayer’) I spoke of experiencing ‘reading the right books at the right time’. These are often books that have made an impression on me. They may be self help books that do what the cover says, they help. Or they may be inspiring for their wisdom or insight for living.…
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Not again I can hear many say. Yes November is when, for several years, I challenge myself to run every day of the month. I used to do this for the month of December. That was in line with a popular running challenge, the Marcothon. Recently I have changed to November. For no particular reason.…
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For years I have been writing a journal. To say I am ‘writing about my life‘ sounds a bit grandiose. As if I can observe and analyse my existence. However it is an attempt to create some record of my day. A lot of entries are more like a diary, simply a record of what…
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The notion of a simple life is attractive. A home where everything needed is in its place. No hoarding. That’s my aspiration. Yet it’s elusive. Life gets in the way. Things are acquired and kept. Such and such ‘might be useful someday’. Instead they gather dust, unused. Occasionally a clear out is attempted. Usually it’s…
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The Serra de Tramuntana is a mountain range in Majorca. Its sun, sand and well developed tourism is probably what the island is better known for. Tramuntana crosses the entire south west to north east coast of the island. It forms the backbone of the island and supports the rest of Majorca in various ways.…
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It happened that my wife and I were staying with family in Idre in central Sweden. When planning for this we were unaware that a mountain marathon was taking place the same time we would be there! Without too much thought I signed up for the Idre Fjällmaraton. ’Fjäll’ sounds and means much the same…
Allan Grant 